


Von Zeit und Reisen

by ReederJoe



Category: Teen Wolf (TV), Timetrap
Genre: Alpha Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Hale Family Feels, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Pack Family, Peter Hale is a Little Shit, The Hale Family, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, True Alpha Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:42:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21568600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReederJoe/pseuds/ReederJoe
Summary: Stiles comes across a previously unknown entrance to the Cave, a supernatural formation shrouded in mystery. Derek has been missing for two years now. Coincidence? Stiles thinks not.
Relationships: Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 9
Kudos: 186





	Von Zeit und Reisen

**Author's Note:**

> This is a crossover fic featuring the time distorted cave system in Netflix's original film, Timetrap. It's a weird little drabble I wrote a little while back after watching the movie and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys sci-fi thrillers.  
> Anyway, this is a standalone fic at the moment. If enough of you are interested, I can definitely expand on this universe.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Stiles nearly fell backwards when he saw the man standing- seemingly frozen- inside the cave's entrance. There was an odd sort of shimmer that made the stranger seem almost glitchy. Stiles stared in awe for a moment, and then stepped closer, near enough to reach out and touch this translucent wall with outstretched fingers. He pulled his hand back quickly when he felt the damp air permeating the atmosphere. But only where this barrier stood. And, he noticed, the man on the other side had not moved a single muscle. Perhaps he truly was frozen?  
Stiles moved to one side, over to the cave wall, and strained to get a better glimpse of him. From the back, it could've been anyone, but Stiles would swear this guy looked familiar. He stood in a stance that implied he'd been walking, holding a flashlight up and out. The man's other hand was reaching into a back pocket, but for what remained a mystery. As Stiles pressed his cheek into the smooth stone, he suddenly gasped, bouncing backwards and eyes bulging. He'd know that face anywhere. Dark hair, slightly tanned skin. A hint of stubble from a recent shave. He couldn't see his eyes, but he knew they'd be dark as well. Of course he'd know. He'd always know.  
This was Derek Hale. His Derek Hale.  
On instinct, Stiles reached forward again, wanting to get to Derek. His feet carried him forward until he was almost entirely engulfed by the dense air. One more step and he'd be on the other side, and yet he stopped. There was static and dampness all around him and everything about it felt wrong. A voice boomed out in his head that he'd end up in the same predicament he saw Derek in now if he didn't turn back right now.  
As hard as it was to turn away, wondering if he'd even still be there when he got back, Stiles knew this was the only way. Derek was frozen in some kind of chamber and Stikes couldn't save him if they both got stuck. He knew enough of the cave's magic to understand that things could only get worse if Stiles went in there without backup. Every fiber of his being tore at him, urging him to go save his mate, but he swallowed the panic rising up.  
Choking down the hysteria that settled in his throat, he turned swiftly and half-ran back to his Jeep. It took three tries but he finally got into the vehicle and yanked his phone from his pocket. He ignored the squeeze of his heart as he scrolled past Derek's number and went for the next best one.  
Scott answered on the first ring.  
"Scott," Stiles nearly shouted, "I found him." He hadn't even thought about it, but Scott might have no idea who he was talking about. That hysteria bubbled up again and forced a desperate laugh from Stiles' mouth. He almost didn't hear Scott's reply, questioning where he was.  
"I'm sorry," Stiles said. "I'm at the cave."  
_______________________________

Stiles waited as patiently as he could for Scott and the others to show up. Scott had nearly bitten his head off when he told him he was at the cave. Yes, the magic cave that traps you in a slower time. That's the one, Scotty. Demanding to know if he'd gone inside, to which Stiles reminded him that obviously he did not, especially if they were having this conversation. Scott hadn't calmed down, though, because Derek was in there. Their pack had been more than a little frazzled without the Alpha, and while he was one himself, Scott was secretly relieved to have him back. If for no other reason than to see that smile on Stiles' face again. Derek had gone in there without even knowing what would happen. He didn't know that he'd been gone for almost two years.  
It was almost cruel, really, for them to have discovered the cave's secret a mere month after Derek's disappearance. And they knew. They knew that's where he'd gone. Where he had to have gone. Anywhere else, they'd have smelled him by now, dead or alive. They'd have found some piece of him. Someone in the pack would have been able to feel the bond, Stiles at the very least. But there had been nothing and no one was willing to take the chance to look for him in the cave. Even so, they had searched the entire system externally, mapping out each opening they discovered, and Deaton and Stiles had sealed them off. They'd found a dozen different entrances, but this one, the one Stiles had stumbled upon, seemed to behave like the nemeton. Because Stiles knew he'd been in this exact spot before and had only ever seen the smooth stone walls and grassy roots. He was even sure, he thought, that he'd climbed the wall that was now opened up and sloping down.  
Whatever the case was, whatever reason the universe had for showing him this new, secret passage, he was forever grateful. Because now they were finally one step closer to getting Derek back.  
Stiles was thrown out of his thoughts when he heard multiple voices calling his name. He got to his feet and pushed away from the Jeep to wave his arms and yell back.  
Scott led the pack, as usual, with Lydia trailing right behind. To his surprise, she was dressed in rugged hiking clothes and carrying about a thousand feet of rope. Beyond her figure in the dimming sunlight, Stiles noticed the others shouldering large packs and climbing gear.  
Liam and Malia trailed the back end, each carrying one end of what looked to be a carjack. Stiles watched in awe as his fellow pack mates scurried down the hill to where he waited.  
"You're not very smart sometimes," Lydia informed him once she was near enough to dump the ropes onto the ground. Stiles opened his mouth to retort, but said nothing when she marched over to hug him.  
"I thought we secured all the entrances," Liam questioned, staring toward the gaping hole cut into the side of the mountain.  
"This one's new," Stiles said, looking back, probably for the hundredth time, to make sure Derek was still there. Sure enough, his sourwolf was still in the same exact position. If he really thought about it, he might argue that the flashlight was just a tiny bit higher up now. But basically the same.  
"How exactly are we going to accomplish this?" This came from Malia, who had taken the carjack from Liam and tossed it- loudly- to the rocks. Everyone winced at the noise, and Malia smiled sheepishly. "How do we get him out without going in?"  
"I'm not sure," Stiles answered honestly. If it was just up to him, he'd have run on in and said fuck the outside world, but this wasn't just about him. Or Derek. Or him and Derek.  
"Deaton is on his way," Scott told them, to no one's surprise. "He thinks there might be a way to counteract the cave's magic." Pause. "at least long enough to grab Derek."  
"And if he can't?"  
"Then we figure something else out."  
"Like what?"  
"I don't know, Malia," Scott argued, and Malia huffed, folding her arms over her chest. A shout from above had heads turning toward the noise. She probably would've tried to argue some more, but everyone's attention was now on the hillside where Alan Deaton was making his way slowly to the group. He held an array of materials in his arms, and Scott scrambled around to meet him, taking half the load into his own arms. Deaton smiled in thanks and the two quickly joined the others.  
From his shoulder, Deaton produced a folding table, which he set up beside Stiles' Jeep. On it, he placed various bottles and containers, as well as a leather bound book that served as the pack's collective diary/bestiary. Every monster they'd faced, every magical place they'd encountered. It all went in the book. Lydia kept a backup copy on a thumb drive that sat in Peter's safe.  
"From our research," Deaton explained, "we know that time moves much more slowly inside the cave. So slowly, in fact, that entire years pass by in mere seconds." He opened the book and turned to the section they'd started about the cave system. "I've been working on a… ritual, for lack of better phrasing. A protection spell, if you will." He paused a moment to look through the items laid out and settled on a wooden box with inlaid triskele carvings. "As you know, this box was made with wood from a mountain Ash tree. Anything inside it is protected from whatever is happening outside of it."  
"My idea is that we take the ash barrier and use it as a weapon against the cave's barrier. My hope is that we can force it back, just enough to reach Derek without physically stepping through." His voice wavered slightly at the tail end, and he looked to each of his mentees before speaking again. This was, without a doubt, the most dangerous mission they'd attempted yet. Maybe ever. "But know that I have not tested this theory. We have no way of knowing if it will work. We could be dooming one or all of us to a fate worse than death."  
"Never took you for a dramatic one," Liam commented, and everyone else whipped their heads to glare at him. "What? I'm just saying."  
Detain gave a soft chuckle and smiled. "I'm afraid the consequences are very dire," he told Liam. "Five seconds inside the barrier and everything changes. One minute and you've spent sixty years inside that cave."  
"Derek is gonna shit himself when he sees all of us like this," Malia said. "From his perspective, it's gonna look like we were right on his ass."  
"Mmm yes," Deaton agreed. "The time distortion is going to take some getting used to. It's been two years for us, but it will have been less than a few seconds for him. He's going to be quite shocked indeed."  
__________________________________

Stiles was only slightly embarrassed to reveal his secret stash of mountain Ash in the very back of his Jeep. Nobody was surprised by this. Not even when Stiles showed the entirety of it hidden under an old blanket. There was enough ash to make statues of all of them.  
Liam, of course, had tripped after turning to face the cave again, and kicked some dirt in the direction of the cave's barrier. Instead of settling, it had stuck itself like glue to the frosty wall. Testing the waters, Deaton had taken a handful of the ash and thrown it.  
"It sticks!" Liam exclaimed. Stiles had reached forward, just enough to touch, one hand pressed palm flat and the other held tight by Lydia, just so he couldn't do something stupid.  
Everyone gasped in sync when Stiles was able to push his hand forward, enveloped in the ash, and when he pulled it back, there was a dent in the translucent wall.  
Stiles let out a triumphant cheer and yelled for more ash. The wolves immediately began handing over jars to Stiles and Deaton, and before long they had clever the entire wall in ash. It was no longer possible to see Derek, though, and it made Stiles very nervous.  
"You think it'll work?" Scott wondered. Liam started to ask how Derek would be able to come since there was mountain Ash everywhere, and Stiles just grinned.  
"He can break this barrier." Stiles turned to look at Liam. "He's a true alpha."  
Liam hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Isn't he one too?"  
"It's less than ideal," Scott muttered. "But we make it work."  
"Besides," Malia cut in. "Peter bit Scott. It's completely different."  
"Huh," Liam pondered. "Guess you're not looking forward to sharing that again, are ya?"  
"Hey Liam? buddy?"  
Liam looked to Stiles and hmm'ed.  
"Shut up."  
Well," Stiles said then, turning to face the now opaque cave barrier. "Here goes nothing."  
________________________________

Derek hesitated at the entrance to the cave. He really should've told someone he was here. At the very least, Stiles. His non-werewolf mate worried enough about literally everything and everyone without him running off into the night. Of course, Stiles wouldn't have let Derek out of his sight of he'd known, so it was kind of a lose-lose situation.  
He'd had to do it in secret. His family had told him stories about this cave. Stories that dated further back than the town itself. Stories about mysteries and treasure and death.  
He'd lost them. All except one. He didn't count Peter because Peter was a psychotic murderer. A murderer who had sought after the last of his family in order to get the alpha title. Peter could tell about revenge until he keeled over, but Derek would never believe it. After their mother passed, the alpha had been given to Laura. Derek wasn't mad about it; on the contrary, he was more than happy to be free of the threat of such a responsibility. He knew he'd never be able to do it justice. Without his family-his mother- Derek was not the type of person to follow.  
And yet, when he looked at his own reflection in a puddle of water near the grass line, red eyes gazed back. He was still unused to the sensation. If he hadn't known better, he'd have assumed it meant Laura was now dead, too. But he could feel her bond in his spine, warm like a fire when everything else felt numb. So many spaces were frozen now. Well, maybe not all of them, not anymore. There was another fire burning now. Perhaps this fire could hold off the cold.  
Admittedly, he'd been less than happy when it was discovered that his mate was none other than the gangly, annoying, gratingly irritating Stiles Stilinski. But then again, even before it was known, Derek often found himself thinking about the boy. It may have been where he wanted to kick him, but still.  
And so, he found himself swearing on all that he cared about-which wasn't much, to be honest- to protect this loose-limbed teenager, and this newfound…love, had led him to new realms and discoveries about himself. Like the fact that he was apparently bisexual. Who knew? Not him.  
Why he stood here now, at the entrance to this cave, was a mystery. There were dozens of opportunities in the past, times when he truly had nothing left to lose. He couldn't waltzed right in without having to worry or be afraid of everything he was leaving behind. He'd known about it's magic, but only from eavesdropping on his mother's meetings with the other wolves and druids. It was never mentioned at those meetings he was present for once he grew old enough to attend. He knew there was a good reason for it to be kept secret. But he still wondered. He still wanted to know why it was so dangerous and so powerful and so much unlike all the other magical places his family had discovered since the beginning of time.  
Actually, it wasn't exactly a mystery. He'd come here because his mother told him to. Well, her claws. Claws that he kept in a wooden box and hid in his vault and had never told anyone-not even Stiles- that they were there. It was a perfectly sound explanation and he didn't care what anyone else said. It was somewhat a secret that an alpha's claws had their own special kind of magic. The memories contained in Talia Hale's claws spoke of a way to heal the wounded. To heal the desperately wounded, the ones who could not be saved by mortal means. Those who watched over him now and made him feel simultaneously grateful and guilty. If what he'd learned was true, there was a way to save his family. He could give back what had been taken from them, at the hands of a woman he dared to trust. He could right the wrongs he was convinced were his fault.  
Maybe then he would feel worthy of a true alpha status.  
That was what had brought him to the cave. A desperate, high-risk attempt to do the impossible. All while knowing full and we'll that he might not make it back.  
This particular entrance had revealed itself to Derek before his very eyes. Derek had taken that as his cue and set off for whatever lay within.  
As he stepped through the threshold, he felt the air change. It filled with moisture and made him feel as though he'd entered a jungle. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but already he could sense the air drying up again. Before he left the safety of this ethereal barrier wall, he decided it was probably best to at least tell Stiles where he'd gone. Now that he was already here and couldn't be stopped, that is.  
As he reached back to slide his phone into his pocket, he lifted the flashlight and shined it down the corridor, revealing a long and winding path which curved to the right nearly twenty feet away. His light caught on a figure turning the corner, seeming to be stuck in slow-motion. On instinct, he took a step forward. He felt the last of the protective moisture leave his back.  
And then he was yanked violently from behind. He growled instinctively at the rough hands gripping his arms, fought to break free. But before he could get a good swing in, he was being delivered through a wall of mountain Ash, sputtering and shouting at the pain of shattering the magical barrier. As he left the cave's entrance, he wondered how that ash had gotten there so quickly.  
He was dumped unceremoniously on the ground in front of the cave opening and glared up at his would-be assailant. Several pairs of eyes stared down at him.  
"STILES, WHAT THE HELL."  
There was a snicker from somewhere behind him as he got to his feet quickly and took deep breaths so as not to murder the love of his life. His hands balled into fists at his sides and Stiles watched him with wide, unblinking eyes.  
"It worked," he cheered, giving a nervous laugh. "I can't believe it worked!" Stiles rushed forward then and wrapped his arms tight around Derek. "Oh my god, I've missed you." Stiles went to kiss Derek then, and Derek allowed it, because why would he turn that down? And then he was looking at Stiles with genuine concern for the boy's mental well-being, because Stiles was now crying, even as he continued to press his lips to whatever part of his face that Stiles could reach.  
"Stiles, what's wrong with you?" Derek pushed Stiles away, gently, and hauled himself up off the ground. Stiles backed up to give him space, and then gasped as if suddenly remembering something very important. He gestured around the clearing and Derek was shocked to find that just about every single member of the pack was present. How had they gotten here so fast without him hearing anything?  
"This is going to sound so insane," Stiles began, and Derek just waited patiently, because all of Stiles' stories started with something like that, "But you've been in that cave for two years."

**Author's Note:**

> For the curious ones, the title is German for "Of Time and Travel" because I'm a lil smart butt.


End file.
